Crest (Aggro) by Carrie Gray (bill gates book recommendations .txt) 📗

Violet: I know we were fighting about the baby, but I made an appointment. We can go back to normal. I won’t push you anymore. I promise. Please.

I spent what felt like an eternity staring at my phone, waiting for a reply. I had just about given up hope that he was going to come save me when the message came through.

Brian: I’m coming to get you. Stay put.

Violet: Thank you. I love you so much.

I immediately replied. I sat back down on the earthy ground and waited, editing and posting my selfie on Insta. Then I turned on the flashlight on my phone even though it barely cut through the overwhelming blackness of the night. Brian was coming to get me. We would talk and go back to normal. He did love me—even though he’d never said it. Everything was going to be ok, but I couldn’t stop the tears.

I eventually heard leaves crunching, but I didn’t hear Brian calling for me. “Wh-who’s there? Brian, is that you?” my voice came out shaky. I turned my phone light toward the noise. “Mrs. Shirley?”

My brain swam. How did Mrs. Shirley know I was here? Where was Brian? I struggled to get on my feet.

“You’ve been fucking my husband,” she said, anger rolling off of her words. I felt all of the air leave my lungs, and I shrunk back into the tree behind me.

“I-I’m so sorry. I never—”

“Shut the fuck up!” she yelled at me. “Why did you do this? Is it because nobody loves little Violet Jones? I love you. Or at least I did. You were like a daughter to me, Violet.”

More tears sprung to my eyes and fell furiously down my cheeks. Hearing Mrs. Shirley say that she loved me like a daughter was like being slapped in the face. She didn’t deserve what I had done to her, and my body heaved with the weight of my remorse.

“I’m so sorry,” I said between sobs.

“You’re pregnant.”

“I’m so sorry. I won’t keep it, I promise. I’m going to terminate the baby soon. I-I just had to wait until I was eighteen—”

“Terminate? You want to get rid of it?” she asked.

I felt sick. I never wanted to hurt Mrs. Shirley, and I was going to have to live with the guilt of ruining her family for the rest of my life. Breeze was going to find out, and I was going to lose two of the only people who ever truly loved me. Unless she didn’t say anything?

“Breeze doesn’t have to know. No one has to know. I won’t see him again. It’ll be like the baby never happened. Like the affair never happened.”

“I’ll know it happened!” she screamed as she lunged toward me, pinning me to the ground. Before I knew what was happening, I felt something rough and hard pressing into my throat. I couldn’t breathe.

I struggled to get her off of me, but I just wasn’t strong enough. I fought for air, gasping and writhing on the ground. Blackness was taking over my vision, and I could hear my heartbeat. Thump. I reached my hands up. Thump. I felt her skin before the effort was too much. Thump. My arms dropped back to the earth, no longer under my control. Thump. I couldn’t see anymore. Couldn’t move. I heard Breeze’s voice telling me that it was going to be okay, but it was time. I needed to let go. And I did.

Acknowledgments

Hey there! Thank you so much for reading!

We wanted to show a different perspective to Violet and Brian’s story and really enjoyed dipping our toes in their taboo origins.

This book would not have been possible without the support and love of Christina Santos, as well as Christine Estevez with Wildfire Marketing.

We are grateful to all of those with whom we have had the pleasure to work with during this book. We’d like to especially recognize our editor, Helayna Trask. She always takes the time to dive into the worlds we create and make sure they are perfect for you all. We would also like to thank all the dedicated members of The Zone, The Gray Area, and Cora’s Crew.

About the Author

CoraLee June

CoraLee June is an international bestselling romance writer who enjoys engaging projects and developing real, raw, and relatable characters. She is an English major from Texas State University and has had an intense interest in literature since her youth. She currently resides with her husband and two daughters in Dallas, Texas, where she enjoys long walks through the ice cream aisle at her local grocery store.

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About the Author

Carrie Gray

Carrie Gray is a new author who has enjoyed putting her own voice on the page and watching the story she helped create come to life. She grew up in Chicago where she received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and has not science-d since. She lives in the Dallas, Texas, area with her husband and son, where she has still not adjusted to the heat and wonders why people go outside when there’s perfectly good air-conditioning and snacks inside.

Stalk me too, I mean, if you want to…

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